CHANGES IN OUR CULTURE 1950 TO 2000 |
In 1955, 30% of
Catholic wives aged 18 to 39 admitted to using contraception
In 1965, 53%
of Catholic wives aged 18 to 39 were presently using or had
used contraception
…From Catholics and
contraception: An American History: by Leslie Woodcock
In 1995, 70%
of all U.S. Catholic women of childbearing age used some
form of contraception [17]
17] Data from
the National Center for Health Statistics,
http://cathmedweek.blogspot.com/2007/03/on-contraception.html
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In 1960, 2.3% of babies were
born out of wedlock.
By 1992, 22.6% of babies were
born out of wedlock.
…..Prosperous Paupers and
other Population Problems, Eberstadt
By 2005, 37% of babies were
born out of wedlock. – Associated Press
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As late as 1960, married
families made up 74% of all households; but by the census of
2000 they accounted for just 53 percent. (Professor H.S.
Klein, Columbia University)
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Between 1960 and 2000, the
number of unmarried cohabiting couples increased by 1000%.
In 2000 there were 11 million cohabiting people. (2000
Census)
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The number of single mothers
increased between 1970 and 2000, from 3 million to
10 million; over the same time frame, the number of single
fathers increased also, from 393,000 to 2 million."—U.S.
Census Bureau.
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23.6% of children from 2
parent families will have problems such as hyperactivity,
behavioral, social impairment or in school.
40.6% of children from
single–mother families have these problems.
(http://fathersforlife.org/divorce/chldrndiv.htm)
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Approximately 60 percent of
U.S. children living in mother-only families are
impoverished, compared with only 11 percent of two-parent
families.
(http://www.hec.ohio-state.edu/famlife/bulletin/volume.1/bullart1.htm)
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In 1960 there were only 2
STD’s
In 2002 there were at least
50
(How Teen Sex is Killing
our Kids. By Meg Meeker.)
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In the US in 2002 up to one
quarter of sexually active teens were living with a sexually
transmitted disease (STD). Each year over 15 million
Americans will contract a new STD. Around a fifth of these
will be teenagers. Indeed, while teens make up just 10
percent of the population, they account for 25 per cent of
all STDs. That means every day in America 8000 teens will
become infected with a new STD.
(How Teen Sex is Killing
our Kids. By Meg Meeker.)
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One in five people in the
United States has an STD.
Two-thirds of all STDs occur in people 25 years of age or
younger. (http://www.coolnurse.com/std.htm)
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Fifty-four percent of women
having abortions used a contraceptive method during the
month they became pregnant. (Guttmacher Institute, 05/2006)
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Forty eight percent of women
that are having an abortion have had at least one previous
abortion. (Guttmacher Institute, 05/2006)
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Forty-three percent of women
obtaining abortions identify themselves as Protestant, and
27% as Catholic. (Guttmacher Institute, 05/2006)
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Black women are almost four
times as likely as white women to have an abortion, and
Hispanic women are 2.5 times as likely. (Guttmacher
Institute, 05/2006)
Fr. Matthew Habiger OSB
mhabiger@kansasmonks.org
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